The battery dates back to 1800 when Alessandro Volta discovered that two different metals, zinc and silver, produced electricity when immersed in an electrolyte. Fifty-nine years later, the lead acid battery, which can be recharged, was developed, and is still in use today.

But other metal combinations, such as nickel-cadmium (NiCd), and the current lithium-ion (Li-ion), have problems that need to be solved if we are to truly move into an all-electric age.

Limitations of current batteries

The fundamental problems facing all batteries have been weight, long charging times and the limited amount of charge they can hold.

Every winter, countless frustrated drivers face cars that won’t start because of dead batteries on cold mornings, and cellphones always seem to die just when you need them most.

Electric cars have been around for decades, but have always been limited in performance by batteries.

Even though the quickest production sedan in the world right now is the fully electric Tesla Model S, owners still face “range anxiety” determined by the limitations of the battery and availability of charging stations.

One reason battery research languished for more than 100 years is because we began using fossil fuels as portable energy sources instead of electricity. Gasoline contains far more energy for its weight than any battery, and an enormous industry built up to provide that gasoline.

Automotive companies abandoned electric cars for gasoline-powered vehicles, which, along with the development of a continent-wide network of highways, sent us down the fossil fuel road with the battery relegated to simply starting the engine.

Even today, there is no battery that is the same size and weight as a fuel tank on a full-sized car that can be filled in a few minutes, drive the car at 100 kilometres per hour for 500 kilometres, and be filled again in less time than it takes to order a coffee.

How to inspire battery innovation

So here’s an idea: How about an international Gas Tank Challenge to develop a battery that is cheap, lightweight and will accept large quantities of electricity quickly, hold onto it for long periods, give it up on demand and last as long as the lifetime of the car?

While many of these new technologies hold great promise, they often run into problems, such as the cost of raw materials, or as we’ve just seen with Samsung’s redesigned lithium-ion batteries, bursting into flames when charging.

Even worthy technologies often fail because of huge development costs of bringing them from the laboratory bench to a final product.

At the same time, that battery market is worth $50 billion US with electric cars gaining popularity and so many new portable devices coming into use. New battery research has a bright future.

One way to spur that research on is to reconsider funding. Fossil fuel industries have been heavily subsidized for decades. Some of that could be redirected towards materials science.

It would also be in the best interest of the fossil companies themselves to invest in batteries or alternative energies so they can continue to provide services and products when fossil fuels are no longer popular.

Currently, the non-profit organization X-Prize, which organizes global competitions to encourage technological development, is looking for people to vote on whether a “revolutionary battery” should be the next priority for X-Prize funding.

Electric devices have revolutionized our lives in so many different ways. But no matter how miraculous the technology, they have always been plagued by batteries that don’t last long enough. It’s time to get on with a new energy revolution.

VanadiumCorp Resource Inc. and Electrochem Technologies & Materials Inc. are pleased to announce the filing of the national entry phases in South Africa, India and the United States of the international patent application.

VanadiumCorp and its Board of Directors are pleased to announce the following corporate updates: Management’s recommendations approved by shareholders at the AGM / The Company welcomes Mr. Sokhie Puar to the board of VanadiumCorp / Stock Option Update

VanadiumCorp and Electrochem have signed a Patent Option Agreement for Ultra to purchase an exclusive license. Ultra plans to utilize the Australian license of "VEPT" to expedite construction of the world’s first dedicated vanadium processing facility.

VanadiumCorp and Electrochem are pleased to announce that The World Intellectual Property Organization has officially published the Patent Cooperation Treaty of the International Patent Application WO 2018/152628 (A1) on August 30th, 2018.

VanadiumCorp is pleased to announce that Francois Cardarelli, President of Electrochem Technologies & Materials Inc. will be presenting at the Canadian Institute of Mining conference held in Chibougamau on May 2, 2018.

Following the release of an energy storagetechnoeconomic study, ‘The South AfricaEnergy Storage Technology and Market Assessment’, advocating that South Africa requires market preparation to take advantage…

Combining solar panels with batteries to keep electricity flowing when the sun isn't shining has long been the target for companies dabbling in the emerging technologies of the power grid.

This year is seeing more development in that space than ever before, thanks to falling battery and solar prices, the marketing prowess of super-entrepreneur Elon Musk, and national and international clean-energy and climate-change policies.

The clean-energy boom is about to be transformed. In a surprise move, U.S. lawmakers agreed to extend tax credits for solar and wind for another five years. This will give an unprecedented boost to the industry and change the course of deployment in the U.S.

The extension will add an extra 20 gigawatts of solar power—more than every panel ever installed in the U.S. prior to 2015, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The U.S. was already one of the world's biggest clean-energy investors. This deal is like adding another America of solar power into the mix.

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VanadiumCorp is a mining and technology company with a vision to become the primary producer of vanadium and specialty metals. The Company growth strategy is focused on development of industry leading resources and process technology located in Canada.